What happened inside the Imperial City was difficult for outsiders to learn of. The streets and alleys around Skywater Bridge remained as peaceful as ever.
"Cicada-"
"Chirp~"
The blazing summer day was stifling. Few people moved about the Pei Family's rear residence; most of the maids stayed in the cool covered galleries, chatting.
In the tea room of the central residence sat a winter melon transported from Shazhou, also called a watermelon. Dressed in a thin skirt, Xiuhe sat sideways on the carpet, cutting it into neat little pieces with a small knife. Beside her stood an icebox containing ice brought up from the cellar.
The big, fluffy Niao Niao was no stranger to watermelon, but this was indeed his first encounter with ice in summer. He sprawled lazily on the windowsill with a square ice cube balanced on his head, gazing at the green trees in the courtyard, his eyes full of the ease of being "so happy he forgot the hall."
Pei Xiangjun wore a pale yellow summer dress and reclined on a chaise longue, gently waving a round fan. Though her posture resembled that of a leisurely young wife from a wealthy household, her face was not particularly happy.
On their trip, she had trailed behind while they traveled, while that vixen kept Jingtang company.
When trouble struck, she had charged ahead and even had to protect that vixen...
After the fight, she had been injured, while that vixen had come away without a scratch. Yet after Jingtang returned, he had not even visited to ask how she was doing...
What good was sending Niao Niao over? He could not talk, and he ate like there was no tomorrow...
Though she knew Ye Jingtang was busy and surely could not find the time to visit, Pei Xiangjun